Daily Devotions: February 6, 2018

Daily Devotions: February 6, 2018

2 Kings 2:9-12

“As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.” vs. 11

UFO enthusiasts read this passage as an account of an alien abduction, and maintain that Elijah was carried away by visitors from another world. This fanciful interpretation did not occur to scriptural interpreters in Judea–they saw it as a great mystery, and believed that one day Elijah would return as a precursor of the long-awaited messiah. Because of these expectations, when Jesus arrived in Galilee proclaiming the coming of the kingdom, speculation followed wherever he went. Perhaps he was Elijah–or maybe he was the messiah and John the Baptist had been Elijah. No one knew for sure, and naturally opinion was divided. We humans are like that, particularly when we live in turbulent times and the future seems clouded. We look for God’s intervention and often attach our yearning to some person who seems to carry God’s stamp of approval. Often those endorsements are based on public opinion and turn out to be disappointing. The new messiahs have feet of clay and their vision is fleeting and most often self-serving. Followers of Jesus will not be swayed by the appearance of ‘pseudo-Elijahs and fraudulent messiahs.’ We find contentment with Christ Jesus and have seen in his ministry the true kingdom of God. There is no need to wait for another!

Thought for the Day: Why aren’t people content with Jesus?

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